Narrative:

I was approaching the downwind leg of runway 4 for winslow municipal (inw) airport. I was flying a piper arrow, PA28R-200. I entered the downwind at 45 degrees and began leveling out. At this time, I pushed the landing gear extension switch in the down position and felt the aircraft shudder slightly as it normally did when the landing gear began to extend. I saw the gear extension lights start to flicker with the front gear light the brightest. I felt what appeared to be the aircraft slowing down and believed this was due to the landing gear extending. I noticed I could no longer hear the sound of the intercom and looked at the radios to observe no lighting. I checked the master avionics switch and determined it was still on and then I began to check circuit breakers. I verified the master switch was on and then I adjusted the transponder to 7600 as I believed I had communications failure. I then realized that the electrical system was not working as I could not even hear the intercom and there were no lights illuminated on the instrument panel. I again checked the circuit breakers, master switch and also checked the intercom box located on the center of the console at the floor. All switches and circuit breakers appeared as they normally should. At this time, I believed I needed to land and began scanning for other airplanes in and near the pattern. I was concerned about being in the pattern without communications. I turned on final and prepared to land with 1 notch of flaps. Upon touchdown I heard the scraping noise and realized my gear had not come down. I pulled back the propeller and mixture and began to turn off the master switch and ignition as the propeller blades began striking the runway. Prior to the propeller striking the runway, the airplane felt as if it was in a slight nose high attitude, as if the front wheel had been partially extended. The airplane slid to the right side of the runway and I turned off the fuel prior to exiting the airplane. I went inside the FBO and called the business that owned the airplane. After speaking with the general manager, I called the 1-800-WX-brief number to get the nearest FAA FSDO. They gave me the number for prescott FSDO and I called the first time and heard a voice recording to leave a message. I called a second time and left a message giving my aircraft number and contact telephone numbers along with my name. The aircraft did not suffer substantial damage and there were no injuries, therefore, it was not a rptable accident. After talking with flight instructor afterwards, another alternative would have been to stay in the pattern and try to troubleshoot the electrical system before using the emergency landing gear override. I would have used the landing gear override, but I thought the gear was down based on pushing the gear lever down, feeling the aircraft shudder and slow and seeing the gear lights start to flicker. If I would have had any idea the gear was not extended, I would not have attempted the landing until trying to troubleshoot the electrical system or using the gear override system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT LANDED GEAR UP AT INW.

Narrative: I WAS APCHING THE DOWNWIND LEG OF RWY 4 FOR WINSLOW MUNICIPAL (INW) ARPT. I WAS FLYING A PIPER ARROW, PA28R-200. I ENTERED THE DOWNWIND AT 45 DEGS AND BEGAN LEVELING OUT. AT THIS TIME, I PUSHED THE LNDG GEAR EXTENSION SWITCH IN THE DOWN POS AND FELT THE ACFT SHUDDER SLIGHTLY AS IT NORMALLY DID WHEN THE LNDG GEAR BEGAN TO EXTEND. I SAW THE GEAR EXTENSION LIGHTS START TO FLICKER WITH THE FRONT GEAR LIGHT THE BRIGHTEST. I FELT WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE ACFT SLOWING DOWN AND BELIEVED THIS WAS DUE TO THE LNDG GEAR EXTENDING. I NOTICED I COULD NO LONGER HEAR THE SOUND OF THE INTERCOM AND LOOKED AT THE RADIOS TO OBSERVE NO LIGHTING. I CHKED THE MASTER AVIONICS SWITCH AND DETERMINED IT WAS STILL ON AND THEN I BEGAN TO CHK CIRCUIT BREAKERS. I VERIFIED THE MASTER SWITCH WAS ON AND THEN I ADJUSTED THE XPONDER TO 7600 AS I BELIEVED I HAD COMS FAILURE. I THEN REALIZED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYS WAS NOT WORKING AS I COULD NOT EVEN HEAR THE INTERCOM AND THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INST PANEL. I AGAIN CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS, MASTER SWITCH AND ALSO CHKED THE INTERCOM BOX LOCATED ON THE CTR OF THE CONSOLE AT THE FLOOR. ALL SWITCHES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS APPEARED AS THEY NORMALLY SHOULD. AT THIS TIME, I BELIEVED I NEEDED TO LAND AND BEGAN SCANNING FOR OTHER AIRPLANES IN AND NEAR THE PATTERN. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT BEING IN THE PATTERN WITHOUT COMS. I TURNED ON FINAL AND PREPARED TO LAND WITH 1 NOTCH OF FLAPS. UPON TOUCHDOWN I HEARD THE SCRAPING NOISE AND REALIZED MY GEAR HAD NOT COME DOWN. I PULLED BACK THE PROP AND MIXTURE AND BEGAN TO TURN OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND IGNITION AS THE PROP BLADES BEGAN STRIKING THE RWY. PRIOR TO THE PROP STRIKING THE RWY, THE AIRPLANE FELT AS IF IT WAS IN A SLIGHT NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, AS IF THE FRONT WHEEL HAD BEEN PARTIALLY EXTENDED. THE AIRPLANE SLID TO THE R SIDE OF THE RWY AND I TURNED OFF THE FUEL PRIOR TO EXITING THE AIRPLANE. I WENT INSIDE THE FBO AND CALLED THE BUSINESS THAT OWNED THE AIRPLANE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE GENERAL MGR, I CALLED THE 1-800-WX-BRIEF NUMBER TO GET THE NEAREST FAA FSDO. THEY GAVE ME THE NUMBER FOR PRESCOTT FSDO AND I CALLED THE FIRST TIME AND HEARD A VOICE RECORDING TO LEAVE A MESSAGE. I CALLED A SECOND TIME AND LEFT A MESSAGE GIVING MY ACFT NUMBER AND CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBERS ALONG WITH MY NAME. THE ACFT DID NOT SUFFER SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES, THEREFORE, IT WAS NOT A RPTABLE ACCIDENT. AFTER TALKING WITH FLT INSTRUCTOR AFTERWARDS, ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO STAY IN THE PATTERN AND TRY TO TROUBLESHOOT THE ELECTRICAL SYS BEFORE USING THE EMER LNDG GEAR OVERRIDE. I WOULD HAVE USED THE LNDG GEAR OVERRIDE, BUT I THOUGHT THE GEAR WAS DOWN BASED ON PUSHING THE GEAR LEVER DOWN, FEELING THE ACFT SHUDDER AND SLOW AND SEEING THE GEAR LIGHTS START TO FLICKER. IF I WOULD HAVE HAD ANY IDEA THE GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED, I WOULD NOT HAVE ATTEMPTED THE LNDG UNTIL TRYING TO TROUBLESHOOT THE ELECTRICAL SYS OR USING THE GEAR OVERRIDE SYS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.